California Chefs Upset About State Law Requiring Workers to Wear Gloves

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With food safety issues on the rise, the state of California has put a new law into effect: restaurant workers must wear gloves. But while the government's goal is to protect the consumer, this ban on bare hands has many chefs crying foul.

The new law, which will go into effect over the next six months, will, according to the Los Angeles Times, make it illegal for cooks to touch plated food, sushi, bread, fresh fruit, vegetables, and other cooked items. The law states: "food employees shall not contact exposed, ready-to-eat food with their bare hands."

But why the harsh criticism from chefs? Chef-owner Neal Fraser of BLD restaurant and Fritzi Dog explained to the Los Angeles Times, "The band-aid of a blanket glove regulation is potentially dangerous." His argument was that this ban may even encourage workers not to wash their hands, and it's environmentally unfriendly. Niki Nakayama, chef of N/naka, said she has no issue with wearing gloves to prepare sushi and during prep, but she said she was "on the fence about the cleanliness of gloves all the time." Roxana Jullapat, pastry chef at Cooks County, asked "Who's saying gloves can't cause cross-contamination or can't get dirty? Outside or inside. Nothing good is happening in there when it's warm and sweaty."

Angelica Pappas, a spokeswoman for the California Restaurant Association, said other states have similar laws and many are already practicing this policy. Yet Jordan R. Bernstein, attorney at Michelman & Robinson, told the Los Angeles Times, "A law intended to regulate employees at a Subway is now being applied to fine dining, which operates at a different capacity with a different approach to training and a different caliber of employees."

Chefs who are truly opposed can file for exemptions for their restaurants. The Los Angeles Times reports that there is no word yet on how the Los Angeles County health department will regulate or manage the exemptions.